Aeon of Sands: The Trail
- December 3, 2018
- TwoBitsKid
- 17h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Aeon of Sands: The Trail" is a post-apocalyptic adventure RPG set in a vast desert. As a young mapmaker, you navigate deadly sands, solve puzzles, and engage in turn-based battles. Your choices and inventory management significantly impact the story, making for a unique and immersive experience.
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Reviews
- Aeon of Sands - The Trail offers a unique blend of dungeon-crawling exploration and narrative-driven gameplay, reminiscent of classic titles like Eye of the Beholder.
- The hand-drawn art style and atmospheric soundtrack create a captivating and immersive experience, enhancing the game's post-apocalyptic setting.
- The game fosters meaningful player choices, allowing for different outcomes and replayability, which adds depth to the overall experience.
- The puzzles and dungeon design can be frustrating, often relying on hidden switches and walls that require tedious exploration to progress.
- Combat mechanics can feel simplistic and repetitive, with a lack of depth in character progression and inventory management.
- The writing style, while humorous for some, may detract from immersion and can be perceived as clunky or overly verbose.
- story45 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is a blend of retro-inspired text-heavy storytelling and atmospheric world-building, offering a unique experience that can be both engaging and straightforward. While some players appreciate the non-linear plot and branching choices that enhance replayability, others find the narrative lacking in depth and character development. Overall, the storytelling is complemented by impressive art and a distinctive setting, though opinions on its execution vary widely.
“Its retro-inspired graphics and text-heavy storytelling offer a distinct experience.”
“An excellent adventure, with a non-linear plot and multiple endings, which gives good replayability.”
“The story is told through branching events and dialogues where most of the choices can have a significant impact on the story.”
“The story seems a little straightforward, not really that engaging but good enough.”
“There's no real depth to the story or characters, but the game's more about the setting and choices anyway.”
“I found the text writing and story very unattractive and which never created an immersion for me.”
- gameplay38 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring unique character mechanics and a blend of exploration, puzzle-solving, and real-time combat reminiscent of classic dungeon crawlers. While some players appreciate the depth and variety in encounters, others find the gameplay overly simplistic and repetitive, with a focus on navigating large, hazardous environments filled with hidden walls and switches. Overall, the game offers a distinct experience with high replayability, but its mechanics may not appeal to everyone, particularly those seeking more complex RPG systems.
“The game offers a broad branched story, and after investing 6 hours in my first playthrough, the game just told me that I only saw 38 of the 147 available levels, thus I think it can provide up to 50 hours of gameplay.”
“It's not the deepest game mechanically, and there are some awkward bits to the combat, but it makes up for it with heart and personality, as well as a large degree of variety in encounters and choices.”
“Aeon of Sands is an unconventional dungeon crawler with a unique aesthetic, witty writing, and gameplay that will challenge even the most seasoned player.”
“The starting levels are fine, but then you wander inside a world where most of the places are very large floors with lots of damaging tiles (debris or plants), with the main gameplay feature being a mix of hidden walls, few switches, and lots of exploring to find the exit.”
“A number of bad mechanics constantly push you toward one type of gameplay: finish the game in 12-15 hours, then replay it over and over.”
“The game seems like it will be really good; unfortunately, it has the same overwhelming tutorial dialogues that contain obvious information you would know just by playing, but then include top-secret little gems of hidden game mechanic information in between all the obvious clutter, forcing you to have to read the entire boring, discouraging tutorial.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique hand-drawn art style and retro-inspired aesthetics, which effectively convey the atmosphere of a classic dungeon crawler. While some players noted that the environments can become repetitive after extended exploration, the overall visual presentation, including enemy design and world-building elements, is considered a significant highlight. The combination of appealing visuals and engaging sound design enhances the game's charm, making it a recommended experience for fans of the genre.
“The art style is hand-drawn and rather unique.”
“The aesthetics are a great plus of the game: AOS consists completely of hand-drawn art, everything oozes uniqueness, nothing seems random or ordinary.”
“The atmosphere is also done very well, supported by great graphics and a very good sound design.”
“This whole game, barring the art style, is bland.”
“The graphics in this game have a monochrome look, with lots of orange and yellowish tones.”
“Although I love the artwork of this game, it can't be ignored that after exploring 3-4 floors of the same location, it can become repetitive - if I was to suggest a graphical improvement, it would be to add more background/foreground amenities in each area - there is enough in each location to tell its story and what they are about, but not enough to remember each location fondly afterwards.”
- music16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its fitting ambient soundscapes and synth compositions that enhance the post-apocalyptic atmosphere, creating a sense of unease and immersion. While many players appreciate the subtlety and artistic integration of the soundtrack, some express a preference for more traditional or tribalistic music over modern influences, feeling that certain tracks detract from the overall experience. Overall, the music is seen as a cohesive element that complements the game's worldbuilding and art style, though opinions on specific tracks vary.
“The post-apocalyptic theme I haven't seen in the genre before, and the soundtrack is a perfect fit, especially when you hit any of the rather artistic images that accompany text-based events.”
“The music is a joy for the ears and fits perfectly like peanut butter and chocolate in a Reese's cup!”
“The soundtrack is discreetly playing in the background, thus creating even more of an unsettling, dystopian feeling.”
“In terms of soundtrack, it's nothing to write home about. I prefer the music being there to not being there, but I disliked the use of modern music. One of the themes when you died reminded me of the dubstep from Battlefield 4, though far less pronounced. Even if it is post-apocalypse and not fantasy, I think I'd prefer some more tribalistic music such as what Fallout 2 usually runs with.”
“Sound and music are minimal and subdued: during the game, several scores are played and areas have 'soundscapes' that convey things like the howling of the wind in desolate places.”
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 77 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Aeon of Sands" is widely praised for its unique and immersive qualities, blending stylish art direction with a compelling post-apocalyptic setting. Reviewers highlight the game's strong visual and sound design, which enhances the overall experience, while the writing and storytelling contribute to its distinctive charm. Despite some critiques regarding visual fidelity, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature that resonates with fans of classic dungeon crawlers.
“An unusual character, an unusual story, very atmospheric and stylish.”
“Atmosphere-wise, this is where Sands shines.”
“Aeon of Sands manages to create a very strong, very unique atmosphere combined with the classic dungeon crawler ingredients and some quite special features.”
“Atmosphere-wise, this is where the game shines.”
“The atmosphere is also done very well, supported by great graphics and very good sound design.”
“This massive work shows as it gives the game its very special atmosphere.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game boasts strong replayability due to its non-linear plot, multiple endings, and choices that significantly impact the story. While some players may find less incentive to replay after uncovering the main plot, many appreciate the extensive content and varied gameplay experiences that encourage multiple playthroughs. Overall, it offers a rich adventure with substantial replay value, appealing to those who enjoy exploring different narrative paths.
“An excellent adventure, with a non-linear plot and multiple endings, which gives good replayability.”
“It offers new interesting gameplay, has high replayability, and lots of interesting story.”
“Replay value was clearly there, but I'm more into plots, so replaying the game when the entire plot has been revealed doesn't make sense to me, and the other details don't matter that much.”
“If you're looking for replayability (even if it's not straight away), then this will have it.”
“Since the options you choose also affect the story, the game offers a lot of replayability.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating the hilarious dialogue and comedic elements that enhance the experience. However, some found the main character's attitude to become repetitive over time, and a few felt that the humor sometimes missed the mark, contributing to a sense of loneliness rather than amusement. Overall, it stands out as a positive aspect for most players.
“I didn't like the puzzles and the real-time combat, but the art style and humor are good.”
“I found the humor to be one of the positives of the game, though admittedly the main character's attitude did get stale eventually.”
“And yes, the humor: <3 <3 I often laughed when I was playing.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be minimal, as combat relies more on player skill and equipment rather than leveling up. However, the exploration and puzzle-solving can feel tedious, particularly due to the prevalence of hidden elements that require extensive searching, which may detract from the overall enjoyment.
“The puzzles consist of 90% hidden buttons, levers, and fake walls, making the dungeons tedious to navigate. It's even worse if you're a perfectionist—good luck testing every single wall block in every dungeon you encounter.”
“The time spent exploring is offset by the fact that this game has no need for grinding. Combat plays out in real-time, and while your stats change slightly during the game, it is your own dexterity and equippable items that determine how well you fare.”
“Good story and nice artwork, but I found the gameplay to be a bit tedious. You really have to be in the mood for it; it's not something you can just jump right into, in my opinion.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players report that after the initial forced tutorial screen, the game runs smoothly without any tutorial popups or freezes, indicating a stable experience throughout.
“Once the player exits that one-time forced tutorial screen, there will be zero tutorial popups or freezes for the rest of the game.”
